Vietnam Premier urges assistance for Vietnamese in Japan

Thursday, March 17, 2011 11:16

The Vietnamese government has asked its embassy in Japan to coordinate closely with relevant Vietnamese units and Japanese agencies to urgently evacuate Vietnamese citizens from areas seriously affected by earthquake, tsunami and nuclear problem in Japan.

This was part of instruction issued by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on March 16 regarding the protection of Vietnamese citizens after the powerful earthquake and massive tsunami in Japan five days ago.

The PM urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to closely coordinate with relevant ministries and agencies to keep a close watch on the situation and decide necessary response measures within its competence.

AFP - This handout photo taken on March 15, 2011 by the US Navy shows Japanese citizens moving food and water out of an US HH-60H Sea Hawk helicopter during rescue operations in northern Japan.

The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) should coordinate with the Ministry of Science and Technology (MST) and the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Popularisation and Education to join in giving news relating to the aftermaths of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and measures to ensure the safety of Vietnamese residents, he said.

The Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute under the MST is required to provide timely, accurate and objective information on the nuclear problem and safety in Japan to the press.

The MIC needs to create every favourable condition for Internet access in the current stage in order to help people promptly grasp information relating to the Japanese disaster, he added.

According to the instruction, the Ministry of Health should be ready to send doctors and nurses to join rescue work in Japan and prepare measures to examine radioactivity contamination levels for Vietnamese citizens who return from Japan .

The ministry was asked to coordinate with relevant ministries and agencies to prepare necessary options if radioactive dusts from Japan affect Vietnam.

The Ministry of Finance and Vietnam Red Cross (VRC) were asked to urgently transfer to the Japanese side a government donation of 200,000 USD and sums of money raised by Vietnamese people through a VRC appeal.

On the same day, President of the VRC Central Committee Tran Ngoc Tang officially called on all ministries, branches and agencies at all levels, mass organisations, economic groups and organisations, businesses and people nationwide to raise funds for the Japanese people in order to help them quickly overcome the aftermath of the national calamity and stabilise their lives.

The fundraising campaign will last for one month from March 16 to April 15.

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According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Southeast and the Mekong delta have been appealing VND633,427 billion ($27.2 billion) social contribution in the period 2016-2019 making up 40 percent of the country’s total contribution.